Improved knife-cleaner



WVM. CHRISTIAN AND J. H. MORROVV, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVED KNIFE-CLEANER.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. ',65, dated September 11, 1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, IVM. CHRISTIAN and J. H. MORROW, of New `York, of New York county, in the State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Cleaning Knives; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof', reference being had to the accompanying dra-wings, making part of this specication.

Our invention vhas for its object to afford a neat, simple, effective, and economical apparatus for cleaning and polishing case-knives.

Previous to our invention various machines and implements have been devised and employed for this purpose 5 but we have not known of any which could he employed'with so much effectiveness, so little labor, and which was so convenient in every way as that which forms the subject of our invention, which consists in the employment, within a suitable case, of two soft-wood surfaces or planes, so arranged that the blade of the knife may be worked back and forth between them, while held between them, with a yielding pressure; and also in the formation of a hopper in one of said wooden planes for the reception of powdered cleaning material, which is gradually supplied to the blade of the knife and to the friction-surfaces between which the blade of the knife is pressed, and also in the employment, in connection with the cleaning devices, of apeculiarlyshaped drawer, as will be hereinafter more fully explained. t

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use our invention, we will proceed to describe the construction and operation of one ot' our knife-cleaning machines, referring by letters to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a perspective view of the apparatus closed up, and Fig. 2 a longitudinal section with the case opened, drawer out, and adjusted for use.

In the'several parts the same letters indi cate the same part of the apparatus.

A is a simple box, in the lower portion of l which is arranged a drawer, B, and the upper portion of which is provided with a cover or lid that opens somewhat after the fashion of a piano lid, as seen at C, swinging atrl on ordinary hinges.

D and E are two soft-wood (such as whitepine) boards or planes, which are arranged in a horizontal position, as seen at Fig. 2, one over the other, and with their ends in the rectangular cavities or depressions F formed in the sides of case A, in which depressions the said boards ends are held in proper relative position by means of four (more or less) rubber or other springs, g g, 85e.

In the upper board, D, is formed a slot (tapering in cross-section) running nearly the whole length of said board. This slot forms, as it were, a hopper, the top surface of board E constituting the bottom of it, into which is put the pulverized rotten-stone or other substance employed to clean the knife, and this cleaning material passes down, during the motion of the knife, between the bottom of board D and top of board E, and from thence into the drawer B, as indicated in the drawings by red arrows.

lIlle forward portion of said drawer B, or that part which is pulled out, is covered over at j', and constitutes a small table or rest upon which forks may be conveniently cleaned with a cloth dipped into the cleaning material which falls into the drawer B.

In Fig. 2 we have shown a knife, in red, in the position in which it would appear while being cleaned.

The operation of our new apparatus maybe thus explained. The parts being adjusted as seen at Fig. 2, and the slot or hopper H supplied with the powder used as a cleaning medium, the knife to be cleaned is inserted, as shown in red, and is then worked back and forth by operative or domestic, whereby itis thoroughly cleaned and polished, the cleaning material being effectually rubbed onto both surfaces of the knife-blade while pressed between the yielding surfaces of the boards D and E.

It will be seen that in consequence of said boards being held against each other by the springs g g their surfaces will yield to different thicknesses of knife-blade, and always press against all partegof. the blade, thereby insuring the cleanin thereof.

The waste material falling into the 'drawer B may be replacedin hopperH and used over, and the rest f, it will be seen, affords a most convenient means for cleaning of forks.

course, be made in variousjvays. rlhe construction and arrangement shown We deem simple and efficient.

Having` fully explained our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

'1. The employment, in connection with the boX, of the two yielding boards D and E, the upper board, D, having formed in it the supplyhopper H, and the whole arranged to operate, substantially as set forth.

2. The employment, in combination with the cleaning mechanism, of a waste-drawer, B, and fork platform or rest f, the whole ar. ranged to operate substantialy as set forth.

3. The employment, in connection with the case, of holding devices I K, as specified, for

the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof We have hereunto set our hands and seals.

WILLIAM CHRISTIAN. JAS. H. MORROW.

In presence of J. MGINTIRE, H. CHRISTIAN. 

